Bryn Terfel made everything his own Thursday in Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood. From the first bars of John Ireland's "Sea-Fever" to his final, magical moments leading a singalong to "Home on the Range" — yes, you that read right — the great Welsh bass-baritone laid claim to every tender phrase, bendy tempo, snatch of lyric and bit of patter.

To each piece he brought not just the thundering instrument at his disposal but a masterful knack for rendering art songs with theatrical charisma and infectious joy. He was more than a singer; he was a brilliant actor, storyteller and comedian, filling the space between works with playful stories.

The night opened with songs based on verse by the English poet John Masefield. Ireland's "Sea-Fever" was delicately wrought; his "Vagabond" lustier; and lustiest of all was Peter Warlock's "Captain Stratton's Fancy," a boisterous ode to sailors on shore leave. In these songs, and in works by Frederick Keel and Roger Quilter, Terfel enunciated crisply (some of his "T"s were downright percussive) and handled both the music and the emotion behind it boldly, employing whispers and squawks along with those sweeping, yummy vocal lines.

Between songs, he joked about his teachers: Arthur Reckless ("A. Reckless Baritone"), who introduced him to English song, and Rudolf Piernay, who did the same with German lieder. If the first chunk of the program paid tribute to Reckless, the second paid tribute to Piernay with works by Schumann (including "Die Beiden Grenadier," which launched into a rousing "Marseillaise," and "Widmung," exquisitely hushed) and Schubert (including a lovely, unadorned "Litanei" and "Die Forelle," a comedic bit about a fish and a fisherman).